Helped by local primary schools, Birkdale, Stanley and Greenbank High pupils took part in an experiment to see how different materials react when they encounter space’s atmosphere.

The two-day project, led by Greenbank science teachers and Hi-Impact, involved a day of looking at the physics behind launching a balloon into space and predicting what path it would take using Google Earth.

On the second day, the young scientists travelled to Welshpool in Wales to release the balloon.